Chapter 285: Blonde Hair x Solar Chariot
Opening his mouth, he wanted to say something, but ultimately swallowed his words back down. With a meticulously groomed face, Chojiro Sasakibe followed Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai's lead, looking up at the sun leaping high into the sky. He silently let out a sigh in his heart...
Although, as the Lieutenant of the 1st Division, it was his duty to prevent any turmoil from breaking out in Seireitei or the Soul Society, if things truly reached that point... Chojiro rubbed Gonryōmaru tied at his waist. Just as his Captain and closest friend had said, it was nothing more than... drawing the blade, nothing more than... fighting!
Whoosh~ A gust of wind arose, carrying spiritual pressure as it drifted slowly past.
The small courtyard fell quiet, exactly like that "nuclear blast zone" in the Demon Slayer world. Devoid of any signs of life, the mountains and fields were covered in carbonized, scorched soil. Empty and desolate, only one person remained, sprawling in an "X" shape on the ground, facing the night sky with his back to the scorched earth, silently recovering his Nen aura.
Tap... tap...
It was unknown how much time had passed. Roy felt as though he had slept through another dream. Slowly opening his eyes and looking far off at the bright moon spilling its moonlight, he asked toward the west without turning his head, "Is there any water?"
In the western suburbs of Kyoto, pacing forward... a tall silhouette emerged from the heavy darkness of the night.
He wore a brown haori, the left half branded with the Buddhist verse "Namo Amitabha" and the right half explicitly stating "Great Sun Mighty Dragon." Underneath, he wore the ink-black Demon Slayer Corps uniform, topped by a string of bright crimson prayer beads.
Approaching, he fished a waterskin from his uniform and tossed it over. Subsequently, placing his right hand over his chest, he knelt on one knee and delivered a devout bow: "Praise the sun... Lord Eiichiro, please punish me."
Glug, glug, glug~ The waterskin flew over, caught by the boy lying on the ground with his fiery red hair loosely scattered. Reaching out to grab it, he didn't care about anything else. Uncorking the skin, he tilted his neck back and chugged it down completely dry. With a flick of his wrist, it traced a graceful parabola, flying straight back toward Gyomei Himejima.
It was caught in a single hand by the monk...
Roy let out a refreshing sigh. At the right moment, he smiled and looked toward Gyomei Himejima, saying, "Punish what? What did you do wrong?"
"The mistake lies in being weak,"
"The mistake lies in being arrogant,"
"The mistake lies in being unable to be of any assistance to you."
Gyomei Himejima pressed his hands together, chanting a Buddhist prayer in shame.
His tall, burly frame seemed to have grown even more massive compared to the past. Clearly, after opening his aura nodes and officially learning "Nen," the monk had been refined by the Nen aura. Recalling the past, it was a completely night-and-day difference.
Through the Nen aura dissipating from the top of Gyomei's head, Roy discerned a "gloomy, gray" patch. With a movement of his thought, he opened the believer panel and scanned it...
[Believer: Gyomei Himejima (Note: Overflowing Loyalty)] [Current Status: Practicing Nen...] [Physique is continuously strengthening through the refinement of Nen aura...] [Current: 628 (Note: Ordinary humans are 1, prior to opening aura nodes it was 107)] [Manifested Aura Volume: C- (84,154/100,000) (Note: Continuing to increase)] [Potential Aura Volume: C+ (54,988/100,000) (Note: Continuing to increase)] [Four Major Principles: Ten (Master), Zetsu (Master), Ren (Initiate), Hatsu (Awaiting Development)] [Nen Category: Tendency... Enhancement... Awaiting Water Divination test...] [Evaluation: C-] [Note: Referencing Chimera Ants, your believer "Gyomei Himejima" already possesses the level of an Elite Chimera Ant Squad Leader, just a line away from a Squadron Leader, possessing very high plasticity.]
Following that, Roy opened the believer panels of Kyojuro Rengoku, Giyu Tomioka, Sanemi Shinazugawa, and the others one by one.
Most of their evaluations were D+.
Aside from Kyojuro Rengoku, who had opened his aura nodes a bit earlier and reached the C evaluation rank, both in terms of "Manifested Aura Volume" and "Potential Aura Volume," as well as his mastery over the Four Major Principles—Ten, Zetsu, Ren, and Hatsu—he was visibly more than a notch below Gyomei Himejima.
Clearly... with the monk's "surpassing talent," he had already achieved "overtaking from behind," becoming the definitive number one person among this batch of believers in the Demon Slayer world!
"Gyomei," Roy finished reviewing the information and closed the panel, casting a gentle glance as he said, "Having self-knowledge... is not a mistake... You saw it too, that was an opponent even I could not defeat."
The battle against Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai had made Roy deeply understand the power of the "thousand-year Captain-Commander" and "strongest Shinigami"!
Putting aside his Zanpakutō, putting aside his spiritual pressure, and putting aside that terrifying combat experience accumulated over nearly two thousand years, Roy knew very well that Yamamoto-Genryūsai had held back, and held back significantly. Otherwise, what Gyomei Himejima would be looking at right now would not be him, but a thoroughly charred skeleton...
"Who is he?"
"Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai."
"A person of this world?"
"No, not of this world."
Gyomei Himejima's massive frame suddenly trembled. Raising his tear-streaked eyes, he tentatively asked Roy once more, "Lord Eiichiro, is there truly a sky beyond the sky?"
"Of course," the boy placed his hands behind his head, watching the bright moon spill its moonlight as he said leisurely, "Gyomei, absolutely do not be bound by your own cognition. What you think is impossible is, in the end, merely what you think; it does not mean it is... the truth."
Just like his past self never thought he would cross over, let alone cross straight into the Zoldyck family in one move, thereby awakening the Nen ability "Gate of Cognition" and beginning to roam across universes. A person's life truly is miraculous!
"Praise the sun..." As his chest rose and fell, Gyomei Himejima's breathing suddenly turned rapid. Clearly... even with the composure cultivated over years of practicing Buddhist doctrine, the monk couldn't withstand the impact of this piece of news, let alone anyone else.
Tap... tap... Faintly came several more sets of footsteps, some heavy, some light, drifting leisurely from all directions.
Roy lay quietly on the ground, his hands cushioned behind his head as he appreciated the moonlight. Even without using En, his recovering Nen aura could perceive... the owners of these sets of footsteps.
Among them was Kyojuro Rengoku,
There was Giyu Tomioka,
There was Sanemi Shinazugawa,
There was Tengen Uzui,
And there were the many men, women, young, and old who had formed bonds with him, such as Kagaya Ubuyashiki and Sakonji Urokodaki.
Without exception, they were all people who worried about and cared for him. And these people were the result of the hope he had brought to them, as well as the feedback of warmth and hope they brought back to him...
Within the haze, he seemed to recall that scene of observing the Sun at a negative distance once more.
The boy stood up tall, patted the dust from his clothes, and beamed a smile at everyone.
Pop~ The dream shattered.
His consciousness followed and returned.
The next morning, at four o'clock in the morning, accompanied by the wooden grandfather clock in the corner of the bedroom striking with a dong~,
Roy, having lingered with the people of the Demon Slayer world for a moment, slowly opened his eyes.
Passing through the "Sea of Cognition" and crossing the colorful dream corridor, he immediately detached from the Demon Slayer world and returned to the Hunter world. Whoosh~ Summer, the continuous chirping of cicadas.
As the fan by the window rotated, a cool breeze blew in intermittently.
Inside the ancient castle of the Zoldyck family on Kukuroo Mountain in the Republic of Padokea, inside the bedroom belonging to Roy.
The boy's silver hair was draped behind his head, loosely scattered across the bedsheets. Different from the past, at some unknown point, the tips of his hair appeared as though they were coated in a layer of gold, presenting a dazzling yet uniquely noble glaze of pure gold!
[Prompt: "Faith Power" +170... sourced from the "Faith Settlement" of the general public in the Demon Slayer world...] [Note: Current "Faith Power": 417] [Current "Life Energy": 384] Total... 801....
Roy took a deep breath, forcing himself to suppress the urge to rush to the bathroom immediately to allocate points. Rolling out of bed into a sitting position, he heard a series of snores sounding like a rumbling tractor rising right beside his pillow...
Amused, the boy nudged the single golden feather on Xiaojin's forehead, then froze slightly. How did it look... as if Xiaojin had inadvertently grown a bit larger?
With a movement of his thought, Roy traced the fat crow's soft little belly down to its paws. A clearly defined third foot had extended outward... Even if it wasn't as long as its other two feet, it was significantly longer than the tiny nub it used to be.
At the right moment, Roy opened Xiaojin's panel to review it...
[Nen Beast: Three-Legged Golden Crow] [Status: Juvenile (10,000/1,000,000)] [Status Rank: S+] [Manifested Aura Volume: D+ (964/10,000) → B- (40,000/1,000,000)] [Potential Aura Volume: ?] [Racial Talent: Chasing the Sun (Awaiting Activation), Solar Flame Control: LV1 (25/1,000) → LV4 (70,000/100,000)... Chariot Driving: LV1 (37/100) (Note: Activated)] [Evaluation: Growth-type Nen Beast, limitless potential] [Four Major Principles]: Ten, Zetsu, Ren, and Hatsu have all become [Mastered] alongside the host. [Advanced Application Techniques]: Gyo, Ten, Ko, Ryu, and En are all [Initiated]. [Evaluation: B-] [Note: Referencing Chimera Ants, your Nen Beast "Three-Legged Golden Crow" already possesses the level of an Elite Chimera Ant Squadron Leader.]
Amidst his silence, Roy stared blankly at Xiaojin, a sudden realization gradually surfacing in his heart... The so-called Nen Beast is less a materialization of imagination and more a materialization of mental power.
If he is strong, Xiaojin is strong; if he is weak, Xiaojin is weak.
The Three-Legged Golden Crow shared his glory and his ruin, bound to the same fate. Compared to Gotoh, whom he had granted the First Embrace, the bond between him and Xiaojin possessed a level of solidity that was even above the First Embrace!
His thoughts fluttered, gradually turning clear... A trace of brightness steadily filled Roy's gaze. Extending a finger, he gently poked Xiaojin's cheek... Caw~ oh~ The fat crow, hazily opening its bleary eyes, struggled to lift its heavy eyelids. Taking a sharp nip with a snap~, it clamped firmly onto Roy's finger!
"What are you waking me up for?!"
Roy's mouth twitched. He could practically read the anger clearly off Xiaojin's puffed-out cheeks. Freeing up his other hand, with a flick of his thumb and index finger, he delivered a flick to its head.
"Stop sleeping, get up, take me for a spin..."
Chariot Driving had been unlocked... Roy hadn't forgotten that this sentence was explicitly recorded on Xiaojin's panel. The boy stared intently into the fat crow's eyes, insisting.
Unwillingly, Xiaojin released Roy's finger, vibrating its pair of fleshy wings as it wobbled out the window, sweeping past the corridor into the adjacent garden. Following that, it let out a crow cry—Caw~ oh~—growing massive against the wind!
As it spread its wings once more, a rein overflowing with glazed golden light revealed itself at its neck, drifting long and wide with the wind. One end connected to Xiaojin, while the other emerged from the void... slowly dragging out an ancient, mottled solar chariot...
Buzz~ The solar chariot was entwined with a solar halo, making it impossible to discern its true appearance clearly. When it rolled its two wheels out completely from the void and revealed its form—
The entire Zoldyck family estate,
Suddenly felt as though... an infinite, blinding light had been cast down from the heavens!
Instantly, it turned as bright as day,
Alarming the entire Zoldyck ancient castle!
"Wahhh..." In a second-floor bedroom of the castle, an infant's cry shattered the silence of the night...
In front of a massive floor-to-ceiling window, a flash of silver hair appeared. Silva stood there in his pajamas, holding Killua in his arms.
On the first floor, inside the westernmost bedroom, a massive hole was present in the floor. A pair of hollow eyes poked out before leaping out from the hole. Following that, halfway up the mountain at the butler villa, Tsubone stepped out alongside Kurajin, her two pink pigtails draped behind her.
In front of the main gate, Zebro, who had reached middle age and was forced into a receding hairline, was drinking tea and reading the newspaper. Looking up, the teacup in his hand tilted, drenching a large section of the newspaper with a splash.
Following that... came Mike, the butlers, the maids, the apprentices...
As each member of the Zoldyck household woke up, their biological clocks disrupted by the prematurely arriving "brightness" and "dawn," Zeno—his white hair swaying as he returned from his routine daily assassination—found the blinding light impossible to hide from. Simply stepping out from the corner of the wall, he cast a helpless glance at Roy and said, "What are you doing now, brat?"
A massive, ancient solar chariot overflowing with golden light, steeped in time and epic lore, sat right before their eyes...
With a movement of his feet, Roy took a step forward, instantly Photifying. In the next glance, brushing past Zeno's shoulder, he arrived in the garden, raising his hand to touch the wheel of the solar chariot. Turning his head, he said,
"What else could I be doing?"
"I want to fly, Grandpa."
The boy's silver hair was draped behind his head, the glazed golden tips swaying along with the solar halo leisurely radiating from the chariot. It was vividly reflected in Zeno's eyes.
Instantly, this man of "One Kill a Day, Active for Life" froze, stunned on the spot!
"Roy, your... hair!"
"It changed color!" The window frame moved, and Illumi leapt out right after, supplementing Zeno's observation.
In the second-floor bedroom, the older silver-haired man looked down with the infant silver-haired boy in his arms, his eyes and brows tightening... The glazed golden color flowing at the tips of Roy's hair was dazzling and blinding, no less inferior to the Solar Chariot.
For a moment, it completely prevented three generations of the Zoldyck family from looking away!
"Maha, did you discern anything?" A leisurely murmur echoed from that dim little bedroom.
Even though the television was still playing cartoons, even though beneath him was his favorite rocking chair, and even though a summer dawn was the most comfortable time to sleep,
The shriveled, weak old man—whether awoken by the intense light or by a long-retained bladder—at the exact instant the Solar Chariot appeared and Roy's hair tips revealed their majestic gold with the wind,
Maha Zoldyck, the true foundational pillar of the Zoldyck family, abruptly opened his eyes. Just like everyone else in the Zoldyck household, all signs of sleepiness vanished completely.
"The rest isn't clear yet, but one thing is certain..."
As a hazy mist surfaced, the old man grabbed Betty around the waist, laughing heartily: "This child Roy has evolved again!"
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